Education Reform Act 1988

131 Universities Funding Council

(1) There shall be established a body corporate to be known as the Universities Funding Council.

(2) The Council shall consist of fifteen members appointed by the Secretary of State, of whom one shall be so appointed as chairman.

(3) Not less than six and not more than nine of the members shall be persons appearing to the Secretary of State—

(a) to have experience of, and to have shown capacity in, the provision of higher education; and

(b) to be currently engaged in the provision of higher education;

and in appointing the remaining members the Secretary of State shall have regard to the desirability of including persons who appear to him to have experience of, and to have shown capacity in, industrial, commercial or financial matters or the practice of any profession.

(4) The Council shall be responsible, subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, for administering funds made available to the Council by the Secretary of State for the purpose of providing financial support for activities eligible for funding under this section.

(5) Those activities are—

(a) the provision of education and the undertaking of research by universities; and

(b) the provision of any facilities and the carrying on of any other activities by universities which their governing bodies consider it necessary or expedient to provide or carry on for the purpose of or in connection with education and research.

(6) The Council shall have power to make grants, subject to such terms and conditions as they think fit, to the governing body of any university in respect of expenditure incurred or to be incurred by them for the purposes of any activities eligible for funding under this section.

(7) In exercising their functions in relation to the provision of financial support for activities eligible for funding under this section the Council shall have regard to the desirability of not discouraging any university in respect of which grants are made under subsection (6) above from maintaining or developing its funding from other sources.

(8) The Council shall also have power—

(a) to keep under review activities eligible for funding under this section;

(b) to provide the Secretary of State, in such manner as he may from time to time determine, with such information and advice relating to activities eligible for funding under this section as they think fit;

(c) to provide, on such terms as may be agreed, such advisory services as the Department of Education for Northern Ireland or the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland may require in connection with the discharge of the Department’s functions relating to universities in Northern Ireland; and

(d) to undertake such other activities as the Council consider it necessary or expedient to undertake for the purposes of or in connection with the exercise of any of their functions under the preceding provisions of this section.

(9) The governing body of any university shall give the Council such information as the Council may require for the purposes of the exercise of any of their functions under this section.

(10) In this section “governing body” means, in relation to a university, the executive governing body which has responsibility for the management and administration of its revenue and property and the conduct of its affairs.